A reporter with NBC News found his childhood home in Pacific Palisades, California, in ruins during an on-air report covering the widespread destruction caused by recent wildfires.
Why It Matters
Earlier this week, the Pacific Palisades fire became the most destructive in Los Angeles city history with an estimated 1,000 structures lost, according to The Associated Press.
The Pacific Palisades fire has been roaring through Los Angeles County, spreading throughout the region spurred by strong winds. The fire was estimated to cover more than 20,000 acres and has forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Two other blazes—the Eaton fire near Altadena and the Hurst fire in Sylmar—erupted late Tuesday.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass previously declared a state of emergency over the fires, while Los Angeles County Sheriff Luna on Friday announced curfew orders in areas affected by the fires.
What To Know
NBC News reporter Jacob Soboroff had no idea what awaited him as he steered his SUV onto the Pacific Palisades street where he spent his childhood.
On Wednesday, Soboroff arrived to find only smoldering ruins where his childhood home once stood, with little left but the remains of a chimney and a brick wall. His home was one of countless structures destroyed in the Los Angeles-area wildfires.
Soboroff's story, shared across multiple NBC News platforms on Wednesday and Thursday, shattered the traditional "fourth wall," offering viewers a deeply personal glimpse into the emotional toll of the tragedy.
Soboroff, 41, now resides near Dodger Stadium with his wife and two children. He confirmed that his family is safe and their home remains unaffected.
Not all journalists escaped unscathed. Ryan Pearson, an entertainment video manager at The Associated Press, spent Wednesday covering the wildfires only to discover his home in Altadena had been completely destroyed. While the West L.A. home of Fox News correspondent Jonathan Hunt was spared, his daughter's high school was reduced to rubble. Others, like KCAL's Rick Montanez, became visibly emotional on air, struggling to convey the devastation they were witnessing.
This week, Soboroff has balanced reporting duties with personal efforts in the aftermath of the wildfires. After sharing the story of his destroyed childhood home, several people reached out, asking him to check on their properties. Soboroff has done his best to honor those requests. During one visit, he checked to see if a plaque commemorating his father's role in building a local park remained intact, and it was still there.
What People Are Saying
Soboroff said during an interview on Thursday: "I'm not going to pretend that I'm not a human without my own thoughts and feelings...It would almost be a disservice to hide the emotions about what I've seen."
"This is the first time I've seen the house I grew up in and I really don't know what to say," he said while on camera, before contacted his mother on FaceTime to show her the home.
"What I've seen here is what I would have expected from an earthquake," he said. "This is what the Big One would have looked like. Not a fire. We've had fires before."
What's Next
Los Angeles Fire Department said Friday morning that officers were gaining ground on containing the fire. Hundreds of inmates from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation were also brought in to assist crews where needed.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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